Local golf community shocked by Blasberg's death

May 13, 2010

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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CORNING, NY - MAY 22, 2008: (FILE) Erica Blasberg laughs on the ninth tee while waiting for the fairway to clear during the first round of the LPGA Corning Classic at Corning Country Club on May 22, 2008 in Corning, New York. Blasberg, who had been on the LPGA tour since 2005, died of unknown causes, according to published reports May 10, 2010. (Photo by Kyle Auclair/Getty Images) KYLE AUCLAIR, GETTY IMAGES

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In this photo taken on April 12, 2007, golfer Erica Blasberg acknowledges the gallery after making her putt on the 17th hole during the first round of the LPGA Ginn Open golf tournament in Reunion, Fla. Chase Callahan, the agent for Blasberg, said Tuesday, May 11, 2010, she had her bags packed for a tournament in Alabama when she died suddenly at her home in suburban Henderson, Nev. AP PHOTO

CORNING, NY - MAY 22, 2008: (FILE) Erica Blasberg laughs on the ninth tee while waiting for the fairway to clear during the first round of the LPGA Corning Classic at Corning Country Club on May 22, 2008 in Corning, New York. Blasberg, who had been on the LPGA tour since 2005, died of unknown causes, according to published reports May 10, 2010. (Photo by Kyle Auclair/Getty Images) KYLE AUCLAIR, GETTY IMAGES

Erica Blasberg was not one of the prominent players on the LPGA Tour, although her good looks garnered her some marketing attention.

But she made an impression on those that knew her from her Southern California roots.

"She was a very quiet girl, very sweet," said Pearl Sinn-Bonanni, women's golf coach at Cal State Fullerton and a former LPGA player.

Sinn-Bonanni is among many in the local golf community rocked by the news that Blasberg, 25, was found dead in her Henderson, Nev., residence Sunday. The cause of death will likely not be known for 4-6 weeks, according to Associated Press.

Irene Cho, a Sunny Hills High graduate and Blasberg's best friend on Tour, did not reply to messages left on her cell phone, but she told the New York Times that she had dinner plans with Blasberg for last Sunday and never heard back from her.

Cho's caddie, Missy Pederson, was supposed to carry Blasberg's bag in Monday's qualifier but she reportedly received a text message from Blasberg "in the middle" of last Saturday night to tell her she wouldn't make it to Mobile, Ala., for the tournament.

Blasberg's death was a topic of conversation in Mobile and beyond.

"Whenever you hear a tragic story that deals with an LPGA player, it's shocking," Sinn-Bonanni said. "We're athletic, we're insulated. You don't think anything can happen to us ... It's like losing a member of the family. It's terrible."

Blasberg's mysterious death is all the more jarring considering the girl-next-door image most people had of her.

Born in Orange and raised in Corona, her precocious talent was coupled with a pretty face and nice demeanor.

"She was cute. She was fun — a really sweet girl," said Taylor Wood, 26, who saw Blasberg frequently on the junior circuit and in college when he played at Santa Margarita High and USC.

"It's really sad to see. ... I think everybody within that age range is affected by that.

"It's such a small community of people. We all grew up playing golf with her at different events across the country."

Blasberg's stellar junior career took her to Orange County. She won the 1999 AJGA Junior Championship at Coto de Caza Golf and Racquet Club by five strokes, her second AJGA title at only 15.

She earned her LPGA Tour card on her third try in 2006 at 22. By then she had moved to the Las Vegas area.

"It's time for me to grow up and get away and live on my own," Blasberg told the Register in an interview at that time. "It felt like the right time."

Cho told the Los Angeles Times that Blasberg was depressed after her last tournament, in Mexico on May 2.

"She was kind of down on herself," Cho said. "She was upset how she played last year. I told her she has so much talent and so much beauty and so many people who love her. I didn't want her to lose sight of all that."

A memorial service has been scheduled for May 19 at Eagle Glen Golf Club in Corona.

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